A Special AfterShanshu Gift
by Izzychase
Summary: Cordelia and Wesley give Angel a special gift after the fulfillment of the Shanshu prophecy [AU] CA


The Perfect After-Shanshu Gift

Author: Izzychase

Rating: G, for a friendship fic.

Email:

Distribution: Stranger Things and Nothing Fancy, of course, otherwise, drop me a line and it's yours.

Timeline/Spoilers: AU: there's no Darla, Connor, Lorne, or Fred, just the Angel/Cordelia/Wesley family, after Angel reaches Shanshu...perhaps it's an extension on S1?

Summary: Wesley and Cordelia give Angel the perfect gift after he reaches Shanshu.

Disclaimer: Angel and all the other characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, and everyone else except me. Don't come and file litigations, please.

Notes: I was inspired by "Amends", the S3 Buffy episode, but this fic has a C/A twist. Shoutouts to the other Stranger Things writers for inspiring me to continue writing fic. You guys write great fic, and keep up the good work!

It was the last time that the pale vampire would spend seeking the comfort and safety of the dark night. It was the last time that he was restricted to enjoying the gentle and pale light of the moon that hovered over Los Angeles, the City of Angels, watching him, guiding him to the souls that needed salvation, and reminding him of his own quest for redemption. It was the last time that he would be afraid of the blinding and scorching sunlight, hiding in the corners of Cordelia's sunny apartment or the hotel like a thief. It was the last time that the sunlight reminded him of his own baneful existence as a savage creature of the night graced with a soul to remind him of his sins and beckon him towards a humanity that he could only dream of.

It was the last time that Angel Investigations consisted of a souled vampire, an ex-Watcher turned rogue demon hunter, and an ex-May Queen. After the promise of Shanshu, the three colleagues truly became a family. The Shanshu prophecy had drawn them together, from the vastness of metropolitan Los Angeles to become a family with a common purpose and a common goal. Each came from a different walk of life: Cordelia Chase was a pretty and popular graduate from Sunnydale High, now blessed/cursed with visions from the Powers-That-Be, Wesley Wyndham-Price was an ex-watcher who now used his scholarly abilities to assist Angel Investigations, and Angel was a two hundred something vampire who had been cursed by a gypsy tribe with a soul. They had encountered briefly in Sunnydale, worked together in Los Angeles, and now a prophecy linked their lives together and brought the three of them on a journey of redemption.

Now the journey was almost over: the Powers that Be were ready to grant the vampire with a soul a chance to be human. It happened on a normal, regular day at Angel Investigations. They had been doing work for a client who wanted his colleague shadowed, fearing that his colleague was using his mystical abilities to do shady business. Wesley had been deep in research, Angel had been piecing all the information together, and Cordelia had been answering the phone when she had a vision. Everything had been routine: the beautiful brunette had screamed, her two best friends raced out to catch her mid-vision, the ex-watcher ran to fetch her a glass of water and to get his notebook, ready to take notes, while the centuries old vampire lowered his best friend into a comfortable chair gently and kissed her forehead. However, instead of having to help someone in distress, the vision would turn out to be a good one.

"Are you all right, Cordy?" The pale vamp asked, knowing that his Seer had splitting headaches after each vision, but he couldn't resist the urge to ask anyway. He also couldn't resist holding onto her arms either, so he moved his hands down until they were holding her fine, manicured ones.

"Take your time," Wesley urged, having come back into the room with a long cool glass of water and a notebook. "Tell us whenever you're ready."

Then, the two men saw something that they rarely saw. Cordelia was cheerful, but she was rarely, rarely, happy to the point that had she not been suffering from post-vision headaches, she would have been jumping up and down in excitement and opening bottles of champagne. Her hazel eyes danced with excitement, and had Lorne been there to read her aura, he would have seen silver sparkles of joy in it.

"I saw it, Angel! I saw it, Wes!" She pretty much screamed in exhilaration, taking Angel's hands in hers and squeezing them in a moment of pure, pure happiness.

"What, Cordelia?" Wesley found the will to speak, as the poor, pale vampire could barely make a sound, too busy noticing that Cordelia, _Cordelia_, was holding his hands.

"The powers! They sent me this vision, and it has to do with your shanshu!" She blurted out breathlessly in enthusiasm, taking both of her best friends by surprise.

Angel was left reeling in the shock of happiness. Shanshu had seemed like a dream that was so far away; something to hope and dream for, but not something that would be attainable, at least in the lifetimes of his friends, Cordy and Wesley. Sometimes, their work led them to see the dark depths of moral depravity in Los Angeles, man's inhumanity to man, and of course, no shortage of demon threats. For the May Queen and the Ex-Watcher, sometimes a sense of humor was the only way to deal with the horrific realities. Now, in the bleakness of the week where only each others' company cheered the AI family up, there was a bright light at the end of a long tunnel.

"Angel? Do you want to hear the rest of it, or do you want to continue to kneel there, grinning like an idiot with your eyes closed?" His seer's sharp but playful jab brought his attention back to the present. He could almost the warm rays of the sun on his neck and face again, and he could almost see himself enjoying the warm sunshine with Cordelia, both of them dying from laughter, enjoying each other's company.

"Yes, Cordy?" He asked absently, his thoughts still directed towards post-shanshu plans.

"Well," She huffed, slightly miffed that her best friend didn't even want to listen to her vision that involved his own redemption, for goodness sakes. She turned to her other best friend, "I'll tell you, Wes, since some certain vampires aren't even listening."

"We're listening, aren't we, Angel?" Wesley gave a playful pat on the vampire's back.

"Definitely." The pale vampire focused all his attention on his Seer, determined to plan his first post-Shanshu activity with her later. He tried to not get distracted from the beauty that was Cordelia Chase in front of him.

"I saw a hill, and it's east of Los Angeles. I saw the three of us standing there on a dark night where the moon is full and there's millions of stars in the sky. I know it has to do with you getting your shanshu because I felt something inside of me. The feeling was indescribable- it was a mixture between joy, friendship, familial love, and hope. I've never felt like I was a part of something so meaningful before." Cordelia's voice was low and filled with awe. She gripped Angel's hands in hers, staring into the dark brown eyes with her own hazel ones. "Wes and I promised to stay with you until you reached your Shanshu, so we will definitely be there on that hill with you when it happens."

"This means so much to me," Angel murmured. He could hardly believe it himself. He had never expected to reach his Shanshu this soon. He had figured that it would take years, at least, if not decades. He had never expected to receive his redemption in such a short time, especially when there were so many other hopeless people that needed their help. "I can't believe it."

"I would like to express my sincere congratulations." Wesley's voice was thick with emotion. "I don't think I've ever done anything more meaningful in my life than to help my best friend attain his own redemption from the powers-that-be."

"Thanks, Wes." The pale vampire turned to Wes gratefully, their eyes locking, expressing thoughts of gratitude and friendship that could never be voiced into words. "Thanks for everything you've done- all the research, being there as a friend..."

"Okay, you two don't do emotion well." Cordelia's voice was also choking with emotion, as she said it, with the beginnings of tears forming at the corners of her eyes, but her grin was friendly. "Before all three of us dissolve into the blubbering mess that is named the group hug, let me be the voice of reason. We still have a case to solve and research to do on my vision. Don't get me wrong, I'm totally ecstatic with this news. This is the best vision I've ever had, but before we all burst into tears of joy-"

"There are preparations to be done." Wesley agreed, becoming the brisk and business-like ex-watcher once more.

"I agree." Angel joined the others in their agreement. Wow, for once, Cordelia and Wesley had actually agreed on something without bickering, he thought. The three colleagues/friends gave each other a reassuring group hug, and Wesley returned to his research, leaving the other two alone for a moment.

"This is just so huge," Cordelia said softly. "I've never experienced anything like this before."

"I know," He nodded. He couldn't seem to find the exact words at the moment either, although all the emotion he felt was there. "Cor, I have so much to thank you for..."

"No," She stopped him before he could finish his sentence. "We're best friends, and that's all that matters. We sink or we swim together. We both have a journey's end. You want to seek redemption, and I want to help the hopeless. We're all in this together, and that's all that counts. Look forward to the day you reach your shanshu. I don't know when the night of the next full moon is, but you can definitely count on me to be there with you, whatever happens."

His beautiful Seer gave him a smile that warmed him all over, and gently leaned upward on her open-toed strappy heels to plant a very gentle, very light kiss on his mouth before walking away.

Night had fallen over the city of Los Angeles, wrapping its soft shroud over the busy, bustling metropolitan city, only to find that this city lived on, even in impending darkness that night would bring. For the other inhabitants of the city, this was just another night, even if the presence of the full moon enticed the more mystical elements of the city to perform their rituals. For the family of AI, this would be the night where everything would change. This would be the magical, mystical, much-promised night where the vampire with a soul could finally reach the final, ultimate redemption and leave the demon behind him, forever.

The afore-mentioned vampire with a soul was now sitting on a chair, on the balcony of Cordelia's apartment, gazing up at the full moon, silent as always, but not brooding. Instead, he was conflicted with emotion. First and foremost, there was joy. Unspeakable joy and excitement raced through his undead body, giving him a warmth that he thought he would never experience again, except when Cordelia had kissed him fully on the lips. He felt that he was on a threshold, a threshold which he needed only to step across and embrace his post-shanshu life and leave everything behind. On the other hand, a third emotion twinged the vampire's heart and made the first two seem bittersweet. This emotion was sadness. Angelus had been a creature of the night for so long, that the entity named Liam had faded away into the darkness, becoming a part of Angelus, and finally becoming consumed in the vicious creature named Angelus. Yet, even with the presence of a soul, Angel was still Angelus. He had tried to banish Angelus into the darkness using the light and purity of his soul, but Angelus had never really disappeared. Angelus was the first to come out and play when he had lost his soul to the Slayer, and Angelus was the last the last to leave as Willow had performed the ritual that would restore his soul. Now, with his appointment with the Powers-That-Be only hours away, would Angelus be gone, forever?

He had been ashamed of the many acts of atrocity he had committed as Angelus, but he was _still _Angelus. Angelus was a part of him, just like the soul. Angelus was a part of his existence, whether he liked it or not. If attaining his Shanshu meant leaving Angelus behind, it also meant leaving a part of Angel behind. He would be achieving complete redemption, but in doing so, he would be sacrificing a part of his essence behind.

"Hey." Angel had been so deep in his thoughts, in his emotions, that his keen vampiric senses hadn't even acknowledged the presence of Cordelia on the balcony.

"Hey." He turned towards his beautiful best friend, his Seer and a champion in her own, pseudo-crazy way and gave her a warm smile that spoke of friendship and love, and it did not go unnoticed. If he hadn't been busy trying to deal with the emotions racing through him, he would have absentmindedly noted the flush that appeared on her cheeks and he would have sensed the quickening of her heartbeat.

"How are you feeling?" Cordelia asked, easing into the chair next to him. Her best friend was wonderful and adorable, especially when he folded her laundry or was just being Angel, but the poor guy really needed to open up to people more.

"I can't even explain the emotions racing through me." He admitted. "I'm still trying to deal with everything. It's been almost two weeks since you've had your vision, and I know that in several hours, my life is going to be greatly transformed, but I still don't know how I'm going to handle all these changes. I've been a vampire for so long, I've almost forgotten what it's like to be a human being. Will I feel totally lost without my heightened vampiric senses? Will I still have a natural instinct to seek shelter in the daytime? Will it feel too hot in the sun? Will I miss drinking pig's blood and blood in general? Will I ever get used to human food? Will I miss you putting various spices in my blood before you put it in the microwave? I don't know any of the answers to my questions, and..." He trailed off, dark brown eyes turned away from Cordelia to look out towards the night sky again.

"It's all right," She said gently, taking his hand in her own. "This has never happened to anyone before so we'll just have to figure it out as we go along."

"I am so scared." He said honestly, his gaze turning back towards her, dark brown eyes locking into hazel ones. "I'm excited, but I'm scared."

"In short, you have butterflies in your stomach." Cordelia said, gracing her best friend with one of her 100 megawatt smiles. "I know this is probably really insignificant to having a shanshu, but I always had butterflies in my stomach at every single cheerleading competition. You're very nervous for a while, but then you go on stage, and you just do your thing and before you know it, it's over."

"Cordelia, having a shanshu is nothing like spelling words with your body with a bunch of other high school girls and making human pyramids..." He began, but was unable to finish the sentence due to the chuckle that was escaping him. "You're something different, you know that?"

"So I've been told." Cordelia laughed merrily along with him and playfully jabbed him in the ribs. "Feel better?"

"Yes." He gave her a sincere smile.

"Good, because I actually came out to ask you something." She said, her tone becoming more serious. "Have you thought about what you're going to do after this whole shanshu business? I mean, are you still going to stay in L.A. with Wes and I or are you going to run back to Sunnydale and.."

Cordelia couldn't finish her own question, because like Angel, this Shanshu business gave her an influx of emotions that she wasn't quite sure of how to navigate through. Being Cordelia, however, also meant that she needed to know the truth, even at the cost of being unhappy.

"I've thought about that too." Angel said softly, instantly noticing the way Cordelia's lovely hazel eyes became sad when she mentioned Sunnydale. He knew what she was thinking, but he had to give her an honest answer. He glanced at their fingers, still intertwined and tightened his grip a tiny bit. "I want to stay in L.A., but I really don't know until I shanshu."

"All right." She nodded, noticing how his grip tightened. "I just needed to know."

"Cordy," He said pleadingly, gazing deeply into her eyes. "I know that you've done so much for my mission and for me, and you're my best friend and I will always love you, but my Shanshu does change things with..."

"I get it." Cordelia said harshly, needing to get back inside to deal with her heartbreak alone. "Buffy is the love of your life and you will somehow find a way to end up together. That's the way it's always been and nothing is going to change. Angel, I... I need to get back inside. I need to be alone."

He watched her retreating figure sorrowfully but did not pursue. It would not be fair to her to make a false promise that he would not be able to keep. The truth hurt, but if he started to tell any lies, it would hurt her even more. He sighed. Being given a whole new life as a human being was harder than he thought.

Several hours later

They were now driving eastwards, towards the hill in Cordelia's vision. Angel marveled at how efficiently the three of them had worked together to locate the specific hill, work out the calculations given the information of Cordelia's vision, and to make the necessary preparations. The vision had required their presence at 'optimum darkness' as Wesley put it, and it was now 1:30 am as they drove towards the hills that lay east of Los Angeles. His conversation with Cordelia earlier was replaying fresh in his mind, but at the same time, he needed to prepare himself mentally for what was to come.

Wesley was driving the car this time, being the voice of rationale and reason within Angel and Cordelia's emotions. Cordelia had told him of the conversation and had told of her mixed feelings. He truly felt for his best friend. He knew that out of the three of them, Cordelia's feelings about the life-changing vision was most akin to Angel's. Angel was her best friend and seeing him Shanshu and reach his redemption filled her with joy, but at the same time, the complications it raised broke her heart. Wesley could see why it would. Angel was also his best friend but he hadn't fallen in love with him. He had promised to stay with Angel until he reached his Shanshu but he and Angel were not rapidly falling in love with each other. Wesley would be sorry to see Angel return to Sunnydale after the close friendship they had established here, but if Angel was happy with Buffy, Wesley could find a way to be happy for them. With Cordelia, it was different. He glanced over at Cordelia, who was sitting beside him, in the middle. He gave her one of his reassuring, "I'm there for you" smiles, and the beautiful young woman returned his smile with a small smile of her own, but Wesley knew it would be difficult for Cordelia to deal as well.

They started the car up the hill, a topographical map lay open in Cordelia's lap, and Wesley drove up the road carefully and expertly, having navigated to the site that the vision had specified before in the daylight, with Cordelia. They were to go to an open field almost at the top of the hill.

"The Powers-That-Be require our presence at optimum darkness," He informed his two best friends. "By my calculations, that would be at approximately 3:00 am this morning, given the full moon."

"Angel, there's a gift that Wesley and I have to give you after you reach your Shanshu so if you are leaving, stick around for a little while." Cordelia said a little too casually, trying to hide the more difficult emotions. Almost automatically, both men reached over to give their Cordy a reassuring gesture. She accepted Wesley's reassuring hand on her shoulder, and Angel squeezing her hand but she checked the car clock. "Come on, let's go."

The three friends got out of the car to start their trek to the open field. The velvety night sky lay before them and above them, beckoning the three of them on: one to a glorious future, another to an uncertain one, and the third to one that would inspire him to continue the fight against darkness. The long grass rustled and whistled in their walk, as the three friends strode across the field with purpose. The three lined themselves in the way that Cordelia had seen in her vision. Angel was to be in the center, Wesley on his left, and Cordelia to flank his right. That was the easy part. Now the waiting would begin.

The minutes ticked by on Wesley's watch, and he was almost starting to wonder if his calculations were indeed correct when Angel's voice alerted him.

"I can feel something. I think they're here. I can feel them; I can feel the power of the Ancients."

As if on cue, the three friends felt like they were being surrounded by powers so ancient, powers so powerful, that they were indeed in the presence of something from ages past. There was simply no way to describe it. The vampire himself, the former Scourge of Europe felt like bowing down to worship and to reverence these Powers-that-be that surrounded them. The hill and the rest of L.A. had disappeared long ago in his mind, and he was filled with nothing but awe and reverence to these age-old forces of this plane and the others beyond.

"Angel..." a voice whispered in the still of complete darkness. None of the three had any idea of where this voice was coming from. It seemed to come from above, and yet it was all around them.

"The champion of the Powers-that-be." Another voice joined the first one, this one less gentle, more powerful.

"The vampire cursed with a soul." A third voice was added to the other two.

"This night you are blessed by the Powers-that-be to fulfill the Shanshu prophecy." Another voice proclaimed. "This night you are to leave behind the vampire to bring out the man within."

"Your eternal jewel, your soul shall remain intact and there it shall stay in the core of your being permanent and forever." Yet another voice was added to the group.

"We are pleased with the champion." The first voice said.

"You shall continue to fight darkness with the aid of the Seer and with the aid of the vampiric abilities of strength and skill that you shall retain." The more powerful second voice said, his words a finality.

The whole incident seemed to pass like a dream: it seemed to last forever, cradling the three friends with peace and comfort in the voids of all that darkness around them, but it also seemed to only last a moment, as the Powers-That-Be vanished from the grassy field atop the hill. Not long after, only the velvety night sky with the sparkling stars in its shrouds remained, its beauty only a remnant of that glorious, timeless moment.

"That was..." Wesley was the first to speak, but was at a loss of words.

"Amazing." Cordelia finished the sentence for him. "Amazing but weird."

Angel was in shock at the pulse that seemed to establish itself within him. Heartbeats, heard before only on other people, could now be heard within his own body as fresh blood coursed through his no longer undead veins, and a heart was beating within him again, for the first time in approximately two hundred and forty-seven years. His body felt so different, so teeming with life and _alive_ but at the same time, he still felt his vampiric senses within him. He felt the vampiric strength that had never left him in harmony with his human body, but he felt the absence of its demon within him. He no longer felt those darker urges for fresh human blood, but he felt his own heart beating within, reminding him of a new life and a new beginning.

"Wow." His whole life was changed, but he was still at a loss for words.

"So, how does it feel to be a human with the strength of a vampire?" Wesley asked, genuinely curious. "I have found nothing in my books or research that comes anywhere close to the events I have seen tonight."

"Wonderful." He breathed. "It's like having the best of both worlds. I get to be alive and enjoy the sunshine, and have a soul, but at the same time, I never lost my vampiric abilities."

He gave both of his best friends a wonderful grin of pure happiness that lit up his entire face. For the first time, his soul would not vanish at one moment of pure happiness. It stayed secure in the core of his being. He looked at their faces in the darkness with his keen nightvision. Wesley was in awe and the expression on his face was one of genuine happiness, while Cordelia looked so happy she was about to cry.

"Come, Angel, there's one more place we need to go to." Wesley said, the smile never leaving his face.

"It has to do with the gift we're giving you. We better hurry too, Wesley, because we were actually here for a whole hour." Cordelia added, springing over to squeeze his hand in happiness. Angel caught it and held it there. His hand wasn't freezing cold anymore. He could return the warmth that Cordelia was giving him. If Cordelia was surprised, she didn't say anything.

"All right," He replied, just enjoying the moment, letting Wesley lead the way to the car.

The three friends climbed in and Wesley started the car and started to slowly drive down the hill. Angel was still in the passenger seat and Cordelia was still in the middle, but the emotions in the car were very different from when they first came. Friendship, joy, and excitement replaced wary apprehensiveness and doubt. Wesley navigated the car expertly down the hill and drove on further east, as Angel just leaned his head back to enjoy the first few moments of his new life, with Cordelia's hand still in his. As the former vampire, now human being happily breathed in the fresh night air that his lungs now needed, he came to a realization.

He couldn't leave L.A. Even though the Shanshu prophecy gave him a new beginning, he could not leave his family behind. These two people, Cordelia Chase and Wesley Wyndham-Price were the two people that had been with him from the very first day and they were his family. His whole family was here. He simply could not leave them behind to go to Sunnydale. It just wasn't possible.

Wesley started up another hill, this one slightly smaller, but it had plentiful of room at the top. Many lovers came here for a quiet undisturbed excursion, but no one was up here close to dawn. This hill would be a perfect place to give Angel his gift. Wesley parked the car and checked the glowing car clock. It was almost time.

He and Cordelia had agreed that he would walk out first to make preparations and leave the two of them behind to work things out. He now gave Cordelia another reassuring pat on the back and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and thanked him with a smile. Wesley shut off the engine and took the keys with him to retrieve items from the trunk. The sun was just barely starting to come up. Once he had what he wanted, he walked away to leave Angel and Cordelia alone.

Cordelia gave a sigh of relief. Watching Angel attain his shanshu with that pure happiness on his face helped her make a decision. She had decided that whatever Angel wanted, she would give to him. If he wanted to go back to Sunnydale and be with Buffy, she would be there for him and maybe even drive back to Sunnydale with him. It would be difficult, but the look of pure joy on Angel's face would be worth it. They both got out of the car, and it definitely looked like Angel had something to say.

"Cordelia, I..." He started, but the young woman shut him up.

"Wait, Angel. Me first." She said. "When you attained your shanshu from the powers-that-be, I realized something. The only thing I want right now is for you to be happy. If that means going back to Sunnydale to be with Buffy, I guess I'll have to live with that. I want you to live your life to the fullest and enjoy every moment of it, now that you can enjoy sunlight."

"No." He said simply. Before he knew it, he put both his hands on Cordelia's waist and his dark brown eyes locked her hazel ones into a deep gaze. "When we were on that grassy hill, I also realized something. I can't leave you and Wesley behind. My entire family is here. My entire family. I also realized something else, but I want to ask you a question. Cordelia, do you love me?"

Cordelia was startled by his actions and even more startled by his question. She could only gaze back into the dark eyes that held her own and silently nod an answer to his question.

"I do. You know I do." She whispered, gazing at the handsome face of her best friend in the early light of dawn.

"I realized that you were the one I wanted to be with after I reached Shanshu." Angel's voice got huskier with each word. He never took his eyes off Cordelia's beautiful face and now he looked directly into her eyes. "Cordelia, I love you."

The words flew from his mouth, like birds flying free from a cage to embrace the splendor of the spacious skies. He never thought that those words would be so easy to utter. He never imagined how good saying them would feel, as he released the words from the depths of his soul to the woman he loved. Suddenly, Cordelia's luscious lips were on his, ardently and passionately kissing him. He happily kissed her back, his right hand coming up to stroke her hair and to touch her cheek, while his lips never lost track of hers.

"Wait," Cordelia said breathlessly as she pulled away from him. "I almost forgot about the gift when we were kissing. Wesley's probably waiting for us as we speak."

She drew away from him and took his hand to lead him into the direction where Wesley had walked off. Angel wanted to protest that she was the perfect gift already, but he only wordlessly followed her, enjoying the way his fingers were intertwined with hers in a gesture of love, friendship, and support.

"I see you two worked things out." Wesley smiled warmly as he looked at the two new-found lovers. "I'm glad because the sunrise almost started without you."

Wesley led the way to where he had spread out a thin blanket (borrowed from Cordelia's closet) on the grass where friends and lovers came to watch the sun come out. However, on this Friday morning, there was no one about and the three friends had the place to themselves.

"This is the gift," Cordelia explained as she sat down, only to find herself pulled into Angel's lap as he sat down. "I know you haven't been able to enjoy being outside when the sun rises for the past two hundred years or so, with your tendency to burst into flames and all, but now you can. This is our gift to you. A sunrise, our friendship, and my love."

She twisted around to give him another kiss, and the two were almost able to commence what they had been enjoying earlier, but Wesley coughed.

"Cordelia failed to mention two items. The first is a bottle of champagne that I brought along to celebrate this glorious occasion," The ex-watcher said, smiling as he moved the champagne bottle and three champagne flutes into view. "The second is an item that she and I shopped for together. Of course, I was there only to be a second opinion, because these items are not something I usually spend hours agonizing over..."

He was interrupted by Cordelia. "What Wes is trying to say is that we bought a pair of sunglasses for you. We shopped and we found the perfect ones."

Wesley handed over a case for Angel to open. He opened them, and tried them on. They fit perfectly and he put them back into the case.

"Thank you. Thank you, to both of you. I..."

He wasn't able to finish his sentence because he found Cordelia's forefinger on his lips.

"We've heard the thank you speech the first time. Now hush or you won't be able to enjoy the sunrise." She smiled her 100 megawatt smile and gave a tiny laugh of delight as Angel kissed the forefinger.

"I'd like to propose a toast," Wesley said, handing two champagne flutes to his best

friends. While Angel had been trying on the sunglasses, he had been pouring champagne into the three glasses.

"To family," Angel smiled warmly. He continued for Wesley's behalf. "I told Cordelia that I'm not leaving you to go to Sunnydale. I can't. I found everything I wanted in L.A. I found a home, I found love, and I found a family. Both of you are my family and I'm not leaving."

"To family," Wesley seconded the toast and clinked his glass with Angel's.

"To family." Cordelia joined their toast and the three best friends toasted their future together on a grassy hill, with bubbly champagne, surrounded by their friendship and love for one another, as the glorious sun rose in the distance to signal a fresh new day, as well as a significant new beginning.

THE END.


End file.
